


Forget Me Not

by Ndfarmer80



Category: La Femme Nikita
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:14:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23923672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ndfarmer80/pseuds/Ndfarmer80
Summary: Terry is led to Containment to wait her fate, leaving Nikita to begin to ask questions about Section's actions concerning maternity. Nikita digs to find answers to what happens to the babies once they are born. She discovers a little known secret, however, making her further aware of Section's darker enterprises. She's always been warned to leave certain discovers as they are.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	Forget Me Not

Forget Me Nots  
By Ndfarmer80

Nikita watched as Section Control Officers led Terry to Containment to await further instructions from Operations and Madeline as they considered her final determination for shooting Michael and betraying Section. The mission was finished with Sullivan Bates lying dead on the abandoned office floor and Michael being taken to Medical to remove the slug lodged in his leg. Terry stood resolute, dressed in all black with her midnight mane falling around her squared shoulders. She reminded Nikita of a lioness being newly captured and taken in chains into captivity.

She could not get the look in Terry's eyes out of her head as she walked past her. She did not look angered or fearful. Instead Terry looked determined and undaunted in her fate. Her chin was held high and her stride spoke towards her indomitable strength. In spite of her doom, she maintained her pride and would not allow anyone to view her as weakened or defeated. She did not regret any decision that she made during the course of the mission, nor did she apologize for what she had tried to do. The only thing that she did reveal that she regretted was shooting Michael. Even in that, she was only partially remorseful. After all, a bullet in the leg fared much better than one in the brain. In a few months, he could walk the wound off as opposed to being a pile of forgotten ashes.

"She will be fine," Walter said after Terry and the officers disappeared down the long corridor towards the lower levels of Section.  
Nikita leaned against Walter's workstation and sighed heavily. The day had seemed extra long with what felt like additional minutes added to each hour as she waited for Operations and Madeline to deliberate about Terry and her fate. Michael remained in Medical recovering from his injury. She was on her way to visit him when she saw Terry being escorted from the holding cells up towards Command. From there, she was guided to Conference where she was to stand trial and endure further evaluation. Nikita nervously waited on the main floor to hear any news about Terry. She half hoped that Terry would only be put on abeyance and given an opportunity to redeem herself, but from what she already knew, this outcome was nearly implausible. Terry's crime against Section was irreparable. Coupled with the fact that she caused another operative to be injured due to her negligence, the chance of her only being put into abeyance was far fetched. The fact that she was even allowed to have a trial was mainly due to her being pregnant. Section was reluctant to put her to immediate death because of her present situation. They had no trouble with eliminating operatives, but where they gave pause was killing one that happened to be carrying an innocent victim.

Although the subject of abortion had come up numerous times, the decision had been left up to Terry to make. Whether she opted to keep the child in order to preserve her own life for a few more precious months, or she truly did not want to terminate the pregnancy because of her love for her unborn child, it was of no real consequence. She would be kept under care throughout the pregnancy, and once she gave birth, her final sentence would be carried out promptly. What that sentence entailed was yet to be determined, but Nikita could guess it was not going to be one that Terry would prefer no matter how Section designed it. With any outcome, none of them would amount to her being able to keep her own child. She was destined to be separated from the infant whether it be by death, or by forced abandonment.

"Walter, we both know it's not going to be okay," said Nikita, no longer interested in any false illusions. "Either way it goes, she'll still end up dead. They will see to it."

Walter sighed, knowing that Nikita was right. He hated moments like these where he knew an operative's fate and could do nothing to justify it or reason a more hopeful scenario. All that he could do was sympathize.

"That's just the way it is around here, kiddo," said Walter. "It sucks, but don't let it get you down too much. Terry knew exactly what she was doing and what she was risking when she did it."

"Did she?"

Nikita turned away from Walter and started towards the corridor leading to Medical.

CHAPTER TWO

The days after Terry's imprisonment left Nikita feeling apprehensive and contrite. Section continued as it normally did with little to no mention of what happened to the rogue operative or of her fate. Michael remained in Medical for only a few more days before being released to go home and heal. Nikita had hoped to know where Michael lived in order to continue monitoring his health and provide company to him, but by the time she came into Section the next morning, he was already gone. The nurse in Medical told her he had been released earlier. When Nikita asked where he had gone, the nurse only said that he had been sent home. This was of little comfort as she had no idea where home was for Michael. She tried calling him, but he seemed to not want to answer any calls. All that she could do was wait for him to show back up at Section after he had spent enough time healing on his own. In the meantime, Terry continued to remain in Containment on Level 5 with a handful of other enemy terrorists being held for questioning or some other reason that Madeline would not divulge. Even though Nikita was not given specific clearance to go down to the sub levels, it did not stop her from peeking in on Terry every now and then through the surveillance monitors in Systems.

She looked miserable sitting about doing nothing but thinking in her small cell. Nikita wondered what sort of mental torture was she going through having settled in the fact that the end of her pregnancy would be the beginning of her baby's life and the end of hers. Even though she wanted to go and visit her, she knew that it would not be permitted and likely would land her in Correction Status on her performance record. Section had a strict policy about operatives aligning with those that were deemed hostile to the organization, and Terry was most certainly considered highly militant. Nikita knew she already was one misinterpreted action away from being cancelled. She did not want to draw any further ire her way, even if she did believe the cause was justified. Her actions had all but caused Terry to be put in the predicament she was in the first place by not telling Michael about her situation from the start. She might have been able to circumvent the decision that Terry later made in order to get out of Section had she been given a different choice. However, Nikita could not be sure that Terry would have made a different decision regardless of the choice. The one thing that she learned quickly about Terry was that she was pretty absolute and did not waver. Even when Michael tried to help her, she still continued on in her dangerous course knowing full well what it might cost her if it didn't go to plan exactly. Nikita figured Terry made a poor call in judgement trusting the rogue NSA agent, thinking he would give her the opportunity to leave Section without a trace. Perhaps if it had been any other operative there with her during the trade, things might have gone another way. It was only by luck that it was Michael standing between Terry and Bates, and by even greater fortune that Terry faltered in killing Michael.

Terry's motive was understandable and Nikita could see why she had tried to escape Section. However, she felt Terry should have known better than to think that the NSA agent would hold true to his promise to her, or that no one would get hurt in the process. She was beginning to think that Terry might not have had the plan fully fleshed out from the beginning. In her desperation to see her child be born, she would have taken any opportunity that presented itself to her so long as it involved her being able to have her baby. It was clear that she no longer cared about her own life, or anyone else's for that matter, but she would do anything to save the life of her unborn child.

Anything but kill Michael.

Nikita sat at her desk and chewed on the end of her pen. She knew what Michael had said about not fathering the child, but he had said it with a considerable long pause. That delay in answer made her question his answer. Michael, after all, had no trouble lying to her whenever he felt it necessary to hide the truth from her. In this case, for his own reasons, he might have felt it beneficial to not tell her the truth. Not much was known about Michael and Terry, but there were plenty of rumors about them floating about Section. There were always rumors about Michael and various women he was believed to be involved with. Even though most of them were found to not be true, there were other whispers that did hold a grain of validity. It was not a secret that most Valentine operatives made their rounds throughout Section before being set loose into the field to practice their seduction among targets. At the moment, there were only seven of them at Section with Michael being the one with the most success rate. The others tended to mingle within the general population without truly crossing over one another in their conquests. It was as though they tagged the women that they had been with and cautioned each other not to touch the ones that belonged to them. She was considered one of Michael's women which amounted to her never being approached, at least not directly, by another Valentine operative working within Section. Even when she tried to spark up a conversation with someone new, there always seemed to be a barrier between her and the other person that she never understood. Whenever Michael was around, she could not get anyone to even look at her, much less speak. It was what frustrated her the most about her supposed relationship with Michael. He seemed to not want her, but so long as he was there, no one else could want her either.

Terry, on the other hand, did not seem to have the same mark as Nikita did when it came to Michael. She was able to freely move about Section's population without much refusal. She went on dates with other operatives, clearly held relationships with them, and did not seem to attract Michael's possessive eye. Nikita could not see what relationship others suspected between the two as they never expressed having any sort of romantic feelings towards one another. Admittedly, she knew that she often stared too long at Michael, reacted much too impulsively, and possibly expressed too much concern for him making the rumors about them appear more authentic. Even though Michael appeared to be the same with everyone he encountered, he did display extra care when dealing with her. When it came to Terry, he regarded her with the same impassivity as he did any other operative. The chemistry between them was stagnant at best. She would not have even brought up the idea had she not gone to Terry's apartment and saw them together.  
It was very early in the morning, much too early for the visit to be a social one. Michael left from Terry's door step, speaking with her briefly before turning to leave. Hours later, Terry seemed completely different from the woman she had spoken with a day ago who was determined to save the life of her child. Suddenly, she no longer cared. She seemed even happy that she had decided to abort the pregnancy rather than carry the whole plan out. When Michael appeared, her strained smile turned to obvious bitterness. She walked away quickly putting clear distance between herself and Michael. These were not the actions of a woman that wanted to do what her words were saying, but of someone that was being forced into a decision she would not make on her own.

And then there was Michael.

He was being extra careful with his questions, demanding without being too pushy, to know what was going on with Terry. His attempts at talking with her obviously failed, so he turned to Nikita for the answers he was not getting. Normally, he would not go to such great lengths to find information, especially if it interfered with the success of a mission. He would simply go to Operations, report his findings, and allow Section to sort out the problem leaving him to concentrate on his work. It was always his way. There had only been a few times where he bent rules in favor of another operative, that operative being Nikita, but his motives for doing so always tended to be self serving. She had no doubt that Michael cared for her, but his care only went so far. He would stretch himself as far as enough to assist, but not quite enough to put himself in jeopardy. He had already done it once and it was likely he would not again for anyone else. When it came to Terry, he did make a move to do something that was clearly against Section protocol and would land him in just as much danger as it would Terry. By not reporting to Operations about Terry's condition, he was putting himself in league with whatever action she made, which could obviously put him directly in Section's sights and place him in abeyance status. Nikita knew she would always be suspicious of Michael's relationship with other women, but with Terry, it was different. She could tell just by the shift of his eyes that there had been more between them than what they were showing. Michael had called it respect. Terry had called Michael a friend. It was a so-called friend that had gotten her pregnant. He was someone that she visited with only sparingly and was not always around, at least not around her. Michael was notorious for disappearing for days and sometimes weeks on end with no one really knowing where he went. At times, it was both Terry and Michael gone for days at a time and returning to Section in much the same time frame. Terry seemed reluctant to tell the father about the pregnancy deeming it pointless to do so. She begged Nikita not to tell Michael anything, and she could see real fear in her eyes.

At first, she thought Terry did not want to tell Michael because she knew he would report back to Operations, but after the mission, she wondered if the real reason she did not want Michael to know was because it would put him in jeopardy as well. Section had an unspoken policy about its operatives winding up pregnant without being directed specifically to become so. Any child born to an operative was unceremoniously disposed of, or taken away in some way to never be seen or heard from again. The truth was, no one knew what happened to those children, and much less, what ultimately happened to the mothers that bore them. Even the few operatives that did manage to keep their lives after their pregnancies seemed to have no recollection of any kind of ever being pregnant. It was said that this was the reason that some female recruits were sterilized so that no such incident could ever occur again.

Nikita wished that she could speak more with Michael, but he seemed to be even more unavailable than usual. Operations told Michael to keep a closer eye on Nikita before the mission began. Now it appeared that Michael was told to keep as much distance from her as he could manage without putting her off his team completely. While he was down, Nikita was assigned to work with another operative named Petra who was temporarily put in charge of Michael's team. She was not as intense as Michael, but she did maintain the same disconnected air as he did. She was precise and forward, giving instruction in a linear fashion that spoke more towards her years in Section stripping away any sort of human emotion she could express. She did not strike Nikita as a kind of female Michael, but there was certainly a common thread between him, Petra, and Terry that could only be from their extended time with Section.

"Ninety-five percent of the recruits have their souls sucked out of them in the first year. For some reason, this place doesn't get everybody…"

Walter, in his own way, had pinpointed exactly what had happened to Terry and possibly to Michael on some level. Section had taken Terry's soul leaving her to become the kind of operative that they wanted everyone to become. A kind of heartless robot that they could control. Now that she was pregnant, there was new life within her, one that compromised Section's desires and made it so that she considered the life growing inside her more than her loyalty to Section. She was once more given a soul and that soul made her a problem.

"Do you know how I might be able to get down to Level 5?" Nikita asked as she leaned against Walter's workstation.

He was, once more, working on yet another invention, only this time, it was something he was fitting to a weapon and not intended to be used alone. His nimble fingers twisted screws into place. As always, he wore a colorful bandanna tied around his head leaving room for a silver braid to fall down his back. His denim shirt and jeans completed his work attire making him look oddly out of place, yet completely suited for his work at Section. His lighted goggles made his brown eyes look extremely big and soulful. He gave Nikita a half smile, already knowing the reason behind her question.

"Not without proper clearance," he responded in his gravely, yet cheerful voice.

"How would one get proper clearance?"

"Probably through their commanding officer, if clearance was necessary for someone to go down there, but…" said Walter as he made an adjustment to his contraption. "There isn't any real need to go down there. At least, not right now there isn't."

"What if someone needed to know some information and only a person being held down there had the answer?" Nikita toyed with a tool on the workbench, still appearing nonchalant and casual.

"Well," Walter breathed. "I suppose then that person would need to speak with their commanding officer to get the right kind of permission to go and talk to the prisoner being held."

Walter gave Nikita a very wary look, shifting his eyes up towards Command where Operations stood looking over a panel and then referencing his computer monitor.

"You wouldn't happen to need such clearance now would you, sugar?"

Nikita righted herself and put down the tool she was playing with.

"Just asking."

"Uh huh," said Walter warily. He put down his contraption and went over to his own systems panel to check something there. "Sometimes it's best just to let things go as they are. The more we try to pry into locked doors, the bigger mess we sometimes create for ourselves."

"This isn't a door that's exactly locked, though," said Nikita.

"By the looks of it, I think that it is," said Walter, returning to his station.

"I just want to help a friend set things right. Is that too much to ask?"

"We're talking Section here, darling. Everything is too much to ask."

Nikita left Walter's station and went back to her own desk. There was another mission on panel to focus on. The mission was fairly easy, just a black bag operation that did not require an entire team to handle. She half hoped she might be passed over so that she could concentrate on helping Terry in any way that she could. She knew, however, that she would not be. Operations had instructed Petra to use her specifically for the mission, pulling her away from Section for a day or so. Although the kind of missions she was being placed on were not particularly dangerous ones, her frequency in those missions was building, making her question the reason why she was being sent on so many of them. With Michael not there acting as her guardian, she suspected Operations and Madeline were trying to eliminate further irritation to their endeavors. It was not a secret to Nikita that she acted in ways they did not approve, but they could not deny the fact that she was quickly becoming one of their more successful operatives and, therefore, one of their most valued. However, from the example made with Terry, her value was only judged by her obedience to their wishes. She could easily be classified as a liability with one misstep or lapse in judgement. They would most certainly be watching her closely as well, waiting for the moment she did make such a mistake.

CHAPTER THREE

Nikita turned in her equipment to Walter, setting down her firearms and Comm unit on the workstation.

"The grappling worked great, Walter. Thanks for letting me try it out for you."

Walter came from behind an inventory shelf and smiled seeing Nikita. He quickly began checking through the firearms, noting the serial numbers before taking the guns to check them in.

"How about the scope. Did you like the new specs I put on them?"

"Oh, sorry Walter. I actually didn't get a chance to use them. The mission didn't really need a whole lot of equipment. It was pretty cut and dry."

"Oh," said Walter, looking a little disappointed that his scope did not get used. "Well, I'm glad the other stuff came in handy for you."

"Yeah." Nikita turned to leave.

"Where are you going?"

Nikita stopped and turned to Walter, noting the change in his tone. It was a question he hardly ever asked as he made it a point not to get involved in too much operative business, keeping track of their coming and goings being one thing he never asked about.

"Was about to head down to the Lounge. Why?"

"Have you heard anything about Terry?" Walter stepped closer to Nikita so that his words were not immediately heard by anyone passing by them.

"No. Is there something different going on?" Nikita hushed her voice as well.

"Just that Madeline went down to offer her another option."

"And?" Nikita was very interested.

"And, we still don't know yet what her answer was. Thought maybe you might want to know and maybe could find out."

"How? I don't have clearance to get down there?"

"Here." Walter passed a key card over to Nikita. "Just be careful with it, okay. Don't let anyone see you with it."

Nikita looked at Walter, understanding his meaning. She slipped the card into her pocket. Walter pulled back, rubbing her arm and suddenly displaying a broad smile. He laughed a bit too loudly as he continued to rub her arm.

"That's a good one, Kita. I'll have to remember to tell that one!"

Nikita nodded and laughed, playing a long. By the look in Walter's eyes, she could tell they were being watched. Walter continued to chuckle as he returned to his station. Nikita glanced upward, catching Operations' analyzing steel grey gaze. She walked casually to the Lounge to grab something from the canteen before settling down at her desk. She looked over at Michael's office and saw he had not yet returned from recovery. His office remained dark. She wished that she knew where he was so that she could see that he was healing well and being taken care of properly. It was not the first time that Michael endured a gunshot, but it was one that seemed to do a lot more damage being in the same leg he had only previously recovered from during Jurgen's final mission. From her count within the past year, Michael had collected quite a few bullet wounds, all of which were focused to his legs. He had gone through several surgeries correcting nerve damage and had been down a few times in recovery due to those surgeries. It was a wonder he wasn't in a wheelchair by now having so many injuries.

Nikita logged into her station and checked through several files sent to her for review. She only half focused on the intelligence as her mind wandered over what sort of option Madeline proposed to Terry. She quickly searched through records and found Terry's profile. Once more, she viewed her within her room, sitting on her bed looking deep in thought. Nikita knew she needed to speak with her and find out what sort of option she was given by Madeline, and if that option included some way to save her baby as well as her life. She rose up from her seat and left her station, remembering to log off so that no one else could see what it was that she was viewing. She walked purposefully out towards the corridor leading to a stairwell connecting the other levels of Section. She knew she had clearance to go to the first three levels of Section, but lower levels were for operatives of higher status. She descended the stairs pretending to be heading towards Level 3, but when she reached the landing for the level, she detoured and headed further down towards Level 5. Once there, she carefully pulled out the key card and held it up to her eye so that the optical reader scanned the iris in the card and not her own. The doors to Level 5 opened allowing her entry. Nikita walked through.

The corridors of Level 5 were claustrophobic, crowding in around Nikita with steel walls and doors leading into different cell rooms. Many of the cells were empty as most of the imprisoned there had already given up whatever information they knew and were quickly eliminated. There were a few souls still in existence sitting in their cells awaiting their fates. Nikita saw them staring at the walls looking despondent and hopeless. Some had gone through horrendous sessions of torture leaving them bloodied, bruised, and broken. Others only looked as though they were left up to the tortures of their own minds as they sweated in their worry awaiting Madeline's call for their turn in the White Room. Finally, Nikita came to Terry's cell. She saw her sitting much the same way as she was when she viewed her on her monitor. She could tell that Terry had been crying by the sullen look in her eyes which were now puffy and red. Nikita tapped on the window calling Terry's attention to the door. Terry looked up, surprised to hear a noise and came to the door.

"Hey there you!" Nikita tried to sound as upbeat as she could manage despite the circumstances.

"Nikita, what the hell are you doing down here? You don't have clearance to be down here," said Terry.

"Don't worry about me. How are you doing?"

"Great. Can't you tell?" Terry joked. "What are you doing down here?"

"I had to check on you. See how you were," said Nikita. She looked warily down the corridor, checking to see if anyone was coming her direction. "Did Madeline talk to you?"

"Yeah. She came by."

"And?"

"And, she had a lot to say. I just didn't want to hear any of it."

"Well, what did she tell you?"

Terry sighed. She leaned up against the door so that Nikita could only see her black hair against the window. She was dressed in a pale blue shirt and pants outfit that looked very clinical and hospital-like. It was a far cry from the stylish couture jeans and sweaters Terry normally wore. The change made Nikita think that Section was preparing Terry for some sort of medical procedure instead of simply canceling her.

"She said that I could live so long as I agreed to abort the baby and go through a procedure."

"Abort the baby," Nikita did not like the idea at all, but she could not figure any other alternative to save Terry's life. "Well...You were going to do that anyway, weren't you?"

"Yes, I was," said Terry. She lowered her head. "But I don't know now. It's like, the further along I get, the harder it is for me to make that decision."

"Terry, they're not going to let you keep the baby."

"I know that, Nikita." Terry sounded frustrated. "Either way I go, I lose. If I keep the baby, I'll lose it the second it's born. If I decided to abort…I don't even know if I could live with myself if I did that. Even if they do decided to let me live, I might kill myself anyway."

Nikita shook her head, not wanting to believe what she was hearing. She swallowed hard, trying to digest her feelings. She could almost feel Terry's pain through the door. She wished more than ever that she was able to help her. She wished that Michael had been able to do more for her than what he did. She wasn't really sure that Michael did anything to help her at all except to try and cover for her and keep her pregnancy a secret from Operations. Had the Bates Mission continued for a few more days, it was likely that Terry and Michael would have come up with a much better plan of action to keep her safe than what eventually happened.

"I wish we could have done more for you," said Nikita.

"It's okay. You did what you could. I'm the one that made the final decision. I'm the one that made the deal with Bates."

"Why didn't you get the abortion when Michael offered it?"

Terry turned to the window so that she stared Nikita in the face through the glass. Her dark eyes were fierce and full of emotion.

"Because it wasn't Michael's decision to make. He had no right to."

"He was only trying to help," Nikita countered. "He was trying to save your life."

"My life, nor my baby's life was his to save. I told you not to tell him. I could have handled this all on my own. Bringing him in only made things worse."

Nikita bristled, feeling herself becoming a little perturbed by Terry's words.

"Michael protected you. He had to because...Well…"

"I didn't need Michael's protection. I only needed him to keep silent for a few more days while I worked everything out."

"While you cut your deal with Bates?" Nikita challenged.

"While I squared things with the baby's father."

"I thought you weren't going to tell him?"

Terry made an audible sigh again, expressing her growing frustration with the conversation.

"Let's just say a lot of what you said made sense. Especially after I spoke with Michael. It was only fair for him to know what was going on."  
Nikita nodded, understanding. "So Michael isn't the baby's father."

"Of course not," said Terry as if the idea was preposterous. "Me and Michael have never been like that."

"Really?"

Terry laughed. She leaned back against the door again.

"I can imagine what you've probably heard about me and him. I can assure you, none of it is true. Michael is like a brother to me. A big, white, nosey ass brother. Always has been."

Nikita smiled, happy to know that Michael had not lied to her. She was even more at ease that a few more Section rumors were debunked. There was no reason for Terry to lie about her involvement with Michael.

"To tell you the truth," Terry went on, "I don't even know how the rumors got started. I mean, he and I would go out from time to time, but it was never anything romantic. Just coffee. He used to talk to me before you came along. Once you came, he stopped talking to me and coming around. I figured he had started a relationship with you and didn't want to scare you off by hanging around me."

It was Nikita's turn to lean against the door, thinking about her relationship with Michael. Terry was not the first person to tell her that Michael stopped other relationships once she came around. It was practically the reason that other people thought that they were together even though they weren't. She had not heard everything that was being said about her and Michael, but she could guess by what she heard about Michael and Terry that it was much the same. Section was always full of speculation, and what could not be proven, always seemed to still hold true with whatever people made up to fill in the gaps. Maybe the rumors would not be so prevalent if Michael were not a Valentine Operative, but being that he was…

"So who is the father?" Nikita dared to ask. There was no other way around the question that was steadily burning at the back of her throat.

"Does it matter now?" Terry seemed exhausted.

"Well, you said you wanted to square things off with the father. You wanted him to know. Maybe I can help you with that. Find him and tell him."

"For what? It's not like he can do anything."

"What was the point in telling him before?"

Terry was silent.

"Look. Even if the guy can't do anything about it, he should still know. Maybe I could give him an answer as to why you've suddenly disappeared. I'm sure he will have questions."

"Nikita," Terry began, her voice sounding more than tired. "I really don't want you to go looking for him. It's probably best he doesn't know."

"If I had gotten someone pregnant, I would want to know about it. If they are going to allow you to have the baby before they cancel you, maybe he could find the child and make sure that it went to a good home."

"Maybe…"

"Wouldn't you want to take that risk? What else do you have to lose here?"

Terry was silent again.

Nikita waited for Terry to say something, but she remained quiet. Down the corridor, a sound was heard like someone was approaching. Nikita looked warily down the hall, waiting to see if someone was coming her direction. She turned back to the window to see Terry staring back at her, looking somewhat mournful.

"I better go," Nikita said, no longer trusting she had any more time left to speak. "I'll try and visit you again soon."

"Nikita," Terry called, pulling Nikita back to her door. "About the father."

"Yes?" Nikita was anxious.

"His name is David Kidder. If you find him. Just...Tell him I'm sorry."

CHAPTER FOUR

Nikita stared at Terry a moment, noticing her obvious stress. She nodded before moving quickly down the hall just as a Section officer appeared at the opposite end of the corridor. Nikita narrowly avoided being seen by the officer as she made her way off of Level 5 and back onto the main floor.

Nikita stood outside of the highrise building listed as the given address for the man Terry named as her child's father. She had found the name in Section's database and was taken aback by what she learned. Not only was David Kidder a Section operative, he was one that was pretty highly ranked. It took some careful planning and a bit of devious work to get the kind of clearance needed to find out anything about the operative. He, like Michael, was classified and not easily located. Thankfully, Walter was just helpful enough to get her access to the necessary files under the condition that she not come to him for anything more. She was grateful that he allowed her to keep the key card so that she could go back to Level 5 again to visit with Terry, but from the way Operations and Madeline continued to have meetings and visits with her, she could tell she was running out of time. She wasn't sure what she would say to David once she met with him. She only knew that she needed to tell him about Terry and the baby that she was carrying. It was only right.  
Nikita looked at the small piece of paper she wrote down the address on. The address was to a penthouse suite on the top most floor of the building. As she pressed the elevator button to go up, she wondered if Michael lived in a similar style home. Given by the way he dressed and carried himself, she could see him very much relaxing in a posh style penthouse drinking champagne and reclining on a supple and rich leather sofa. Of course, she had also seen him be plain and hardy like a woodsman, looking quite comfortable on a handcrafted couch overwhelmed with woven blankets and drinking steeped tea. It was always the way with Michael, going from one extreme to the next. If she had never known Michael, she would not have guessed he lived in any place other than Section. If she did not know better, she would think it exactly so. He was always there before she arrived, and was almost always still there long after she left.

The doors to the penthouse level opened depositing her before grand double doors down the end of a short hallway. The hall was opulently decorated with marble and carved stone statues. It did not look like she was entering the home of a Section operative as there was nothing low key or clandestine about the decorations. She went to the door and pressed the buzzer. In a side mirror, she caught a glimpse of herself.

She was dressed in black. All black from head to toe. She had not meant to look so stark, but seeing as how she was coming to deliver some disconcerting news, black seemed fitting. She wore a long black coat over top a black fitted cowl neck sweater and black leather skirt. Her knee high stiletto boots trust her already tall frame up higher making her tower over most average height men. Her blonde hair was pulled back to a sleek ponytail which she wrapped a leather strap about turning it into a stiff black rope. She pulled off her shades so that when David answered the door, he was not staring at a harsh face. She did not want to unnerve him.

After another long moment, the door finally opened revealing a man in a grey suit looking far too old and too white to be David Kidder. He studied Nikita with a scrutinizing once over before greeting her.

"Yes?"

"Hi, um. I'm looking for a man. David Kidder. Does he live here?" Nikita faltered a little.

The man at the door looked Nikita over again, obviously judging her by her appearance.

"Mr. Kidder is quite busy at the moment. Shall I tell him that you stopped by?"

"Oh," Nikita realized who the man was. "Well, he doesn't exactly know me. I'm a friend of someone that he does know."

"I take it that Mr. Kidder was not expecting you."

"No. I don't think so." Nikita could not suppress a nervous laugh. "But I do need to speak with him. It's rather important."

The doorman continued to look at Nikita, barring her entry inside the home. Behind him, Nikita noticed someone move casting their shadow across the floor. The doorman maintained his stand at the door, not budging a muscle.

"C-could I come in?" Nikita attempted.

"Who is at the door Gershwin?" called a voice from somewhere in the penthouse.

The man called Gershwin turned. "It is a young lady, sir. She says she has important news to give to you." He turned to Nikita. "What is your name, dear?"  
"It's Nikita. Tell him I'm here on behalf of our friend, Terry. He knows her."

Gershwin considered Nikita's answer before turning to call back to the person hiding in the shadows of the penthouse.

"She says her name is Nikita. She is here on behalf of the lady named Terry. She claims you know her."

"Terry…"

Footsteps began to draw closer on the tile floor. Another man, much younger than Gershwin, appeared from the far end of the penthouse dressed in a pair of grey sweat pants and a black A t-shirt. He was average in height, caramel skinned, with an athletic build. His dark hair was shaped in a short and neat afro perfectly framing chiseled cheekbones and a squared jawline. His smile was easy and seemed genuine. When he drew closer, Nikita was surprised to see his eyes.  
They were light blue, much like Michael's.

He held a mug of coffee in his left hand as he extended the right one to shake.

"Nikita," David said, his voice sounding warm yet gravely. "Come in."

Gershwin stood back from the doorway allowing Nikita to walk in. She stepped into the home and looked about herself. The home was lavishly decorated with both modern and traditional amenities creating a comforting setting. There were photographs of friends and possibly family all of which was clear that David kept in contact with despite Section insisting operatives distance themselves. Many of the photographs were of women smiling and enjoying the moment while hanging on David's arm.

"Nice place you have here," said Nikita.

"Thanks." David took a sip from his mug. "Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee?"

"Tea would be great," said Nikita.

David went left to an open kitchen outfitted with stainless steel appliances and carrara marble counter tops. He prepared a black tea kettle and set it atop an aisle on the gas stove. He motioned for Nikita to take a seat in one of the large overstuffed arm chairs in the living area.

"So...You were saying," said David as he leaned on the arm of one of the armchairs.

He continued to drink his mug leisurely. The man named Gershwin disappeared to another part of the penthouse. Nikita swallowed, feeling like her mouth would become too dry to finish telling David everything he would need to know. She steadied herself and cleared her throat.

"Um...Well...I'm sure you know Terry."

"Umm, hmm." David took another sip.

"Well...She had something happen that is very important and you probably would like to know about it."

"Okay," David continued to sip and stare evenly at Nikita.

For a moment, Nikita could not help but be slightly mesmerized by David's curiously colored blue eyes and the easy way in which he presented himself. He seemed to buzz with quiet energy. The way that he was staring back at her made her feel slightly self conscious, like he was reading her with his hypnotic eyes. He was attractive in a way that was both obvious and subtle. If he had been someone standing in a crowd, she would most certainly remember seeing him, and would find him intriguing enough to want to know more. At the moment, he was saying very little, but she felt like he had carried on a full conversation with her already.

"You see...Terry is…" Nikita could not figure out why it was so hard for her to say the words. She fidgeted with the end of her sweater a moment.  
"Terry is what?" David asked, somewhat impatiently.

Behind him, the kettle began to whistle loudly. He stood and walked over to the stove to take the kettle from the aisle. Nikita watched as he took down a large powder blue mug from the upper cabinet and lay in a tea bag. He then poured the hot water over the bag and brought it over to Nikita. She took it, thanking him, and held the warm mug between her hands, trying again to draw the courage to speak. David settled back on the arm of the chair and waited for Nikita to begin speaking again.  
"Terry is...She's...Pregnant." Nikita punched out the word quickly.

David took another long sip from his mug. His eyes shifted only slightly, the news registering. He nodded then took in a heavy breath.  
"Pregnant," he repeated. "Is she sure?"

"I'm pretty certain she is sure," said Nikita, grateful to have gotten past the hard part, but there was still more to tell.  
"And she told you I'm the father."

"Yes."

David made a huffing response. He stood to his feet and walked into the kitchen. He set his mug down in the sink and ran water into it. Nikita could not tell whether or not he was happy about the news or upset by it. His expression was not unlike Michael's becoming unreadable and blank. She waited, ignoring her mug for the moment. David stared out into nothing, thinking, before returning his attention to Nikita.

"Why didn't she come and tell me this herself? Why did she send you?"

"Because she couldn't. She's in containment at Section. They will keep her there until she has the baby."

David circled around to the other side of the island and folded his arms as he leaned up against it. His expression remained intensely focused on Nikita, but she could still not read anything from him.

"What will happen to the baby?"

Nikita finally noticed her tea and took a sip. It was light and full of a sweet scent of vanilla and chai. A comforting and warm feeling flooded over her body, somewhat relaxing her.  
"Nobody knows what happens to the babies," Nikita answered honestly. "They just disappear."

"Well something must happen to them. They don't just kill them," said David, but the horror of what he just spoke crossed immediately over his expression.  
Nikita tensed despite the magic of the tea. She had not wanted to think about Section being so diabolical, but it was not something that she could honestly put aside. Section did a lot of things that could be considered hellish, but killing an infant...Even that might be too demonic even for Operations and Madeline.

"So what is it that she wants me to do about it?" David straightened and walked back into the kitchen. He pulled out a beer from the refrigerator and flipped off the top.  
"Nothing," Nikita answered, still trying to process the information herself. "She only wanted you to know."

"And she told you to tell me," David sounded somewhat suspicious as he took a swig from his beer.

"I thought it best."

"So she didn't tell you to tell me. You just decided to do it anyway." David leaned against the refrigerator.

He kept his gaze steady with Nikita as he drank his beer.

Nikita could not help but feel somewhat unsettled as she sat with her tea. The way his gaze continued to pierce deep within her further made her want to bolt out of the suite. Instead, she took another long swallow of her tea, ignoring the heat as it burned down her throat, and straightened her back. She looked at David with intention.

"She wanted to tell you about the baby because she knew she wasn't going to live long after the baby was born. Section is going to cancel her as soon as she gives birth. We were hoping that maybe you might be interested in working to find out what is going to happen to your baby and maybe make sure it goes to a good home."

David crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly as he considered Nikita's words.

"Why would I want to get myself involved in this any further than I already am? If they are going to kill her as soon as she gives birth, why tell me all of this? Why not leave me out of it?"

"Because it's your baby," Nikita said, her eyes blazing a little with intensity. "Don't you want to know what is going to happen to your child?"

"No," David scoffed. He took a long swig. "I didn't even want to know I was having a kid."

Nikita did not hold back her disappointment and disgust. She stood up from the armchair and walked briskly over to the counter where David stood continuing to drink his beer. She set the half drank mug down on the counter.

"Terry was right. Maybe it was best to not tell you anything. You obviously don't care."

Nikita's eyes rested harshly on David a moment before heading for the door.

"It's not that I don't care, Nikita, it's just that I can't do anything about it," said David.

Nikita turned and saw David still leaning on the counter, but his expression was different. His face was pulled into deep and tortured thoughts as he stared down at the floor. Nikita took a step towards him.

"How do you know you can't do anything if you don't try? You could at least find out."

David looked at Nikita, his eyes full of emotion.

"If I do anything, anything at all, they will know about me and Terry. They will know that we violated Section protocol and will likely put me on the chopping block too. What good will it do if I'm dead, too?"

"They won't kill you for fathering a child," said Nikita, stepping closer.

David was not convinced. "If they are going to kill her for having one, wouldn't you think they would kill me for fathering one? It goes against Section Code of Conduct. Terry was my material. We were never supposed to be together."

Nikita stood confused now. She shook her head. David finished his beer and turned quickly to throw the empty bottle into the trash. The bottle angrily landed in the metal trash can with the lid slamming down behind it. David, now fully expressing his inner turmoil, made a frustrated sound and put his hands on his hips.

"Why would Section even care?" Nikita was still trying to make sense of David's reasoning. "So you fell in love. You couldn't help that no more than Terry could help getting pregnant. They aren't cancelling her because she got pregnant. They are cancelling her because she betrayed the Section."

David nodded, smiling somewhat menacingly.

"That's the other thing," he said. "Terry's exposure to Bates can be traced back to me as well. I'm the one that led her to him."

"Why?"

"She had her own reasons."

"So you told her to talk to Bates?"

"I didn't know why, but I didn't ask her either. All that I knew was that he had information that would be valuable. There was something that she wanted to talk to him about."  
"How did you know him?"

"He used to be my contact...Before he went rogue."

"I take it the Section did not know about this." Nikita crossed her arms as she stood facing David.

"No. I lost contact with him a few months before he splintered. When he finally resurfaced, I thought it best to keep my distance and I was right, but Terry had other plans."

David leaned against the counter, his arms still crossed over his chest. He looked down towards the floor, his expression reading concern, but not for Terry anymore. Nikita drew closer to him, reaching to touch his arm for reassurance. There was something profoundly magnetic about him that made her want to reach for him. In a lot of ways, it was the same feeling she got with Michael, but she never dared to reach for him. He never seemed open enough to welcome it. David, on the other hand, seemed to need the supportive touch of another person. His pained expression told quite plainly of his torment.

"I should have never told her about him."

"Terry knew what she was doing when she talked to him," said Nikita, not really defending her friend, but trying to give some kind of explanation for her actions. "She was only trying to find a way to save her baby. She didn't say anything to you because she didn't think it would matter."

David looked at Nikita. This time his eyes were cold and very serious.

"If she thought that, then why are you here? Did the Section send you?"

"I told you, I'm here because Terry wanted me to tell you the truth about what was going on? She wanted you to know about the baby." Nikita took her hand away quickly, noticing David's change in demeanor.

"You shouldn't have come here. You should leave now."

Nikita took a step backward. Even though David still looked pained, she could feel a cold chill race through her signalling that things were no longer going to remain cordial. David turned away from her and opened the refrigerator again. He pulled out another beer and popped open the top. She watched as he took an extra long gulp of the sudsy brew before throwing a wary glance her way.

"If you see Terry, tell her I'm sorry."

"You could tell her yourself if you wanted. You have clearance to go to where she is."

"I know," said David. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "But I'm not going to."

He walked past Nikita and went to the front door of the suite. He opened it and waved for Nikita to leave out. Sighing in frustration, Nikita smirked as she walked past David and out into the hall. She turned quickly to face him.

"I had hoped that you might at least show some kind of feeling about what is about to happen to Terry and the baby the two of you created together." Nikita allowed her crystal gaze to linger with full scrutiny on David's placid face. "I understand now why she didn't want to tell you. You're a real piece of work."

David smiled devilishly. "I've been told."

"Anything else you want me to tell Terry?" Nikita could not hide her attitude as she put on her sunglasses.

"Yeah," said David. He hung casually on his door. "Tell her I said good luck."

CHAPTER FIVE 

Nikita could not get David's words out of her head. For the next two days, she chewed on the details of her meeting with him and felt her blood boiling. On the monitors, Terry continued to sit alone in her cell, looking more sullen with each passing hour. There were times that Nikita could tell she was crying by the way she held herself curled up on her bed. She wanted to comfort her, but knew she couldn't. The most that she could do was sympathize for her and pray something might change in her circumstance.  
As normal, Section continued with its missions and its assignments caring little for Terry or anyone else thrown into the lower dungeons. It seemed everyone knew that Nikita was distracted with something and was being watched by Operations. They kept considerable distance from her, burgeoning on shunning her completely. Only Walter and Birkoff appeared to want to speak with her, but even they kept their conversations brief and always wary of the Perch.

Nikita sat at her desk. Her screen flowed with intel information she was supposed to be sifting through, but her attention was elsewhere. There was something bothering her about Section's policies on operatives getting pregnant. As long as she had been an operative, she had never known Section to have any such policies or penalties stated about the possibility of pregnancy and what would subsequently happen to would-be parents should they find themselves expecting. With any other organization, maternity leave was part of the general benefits offered along with a comprehensible health plan and retirement matchup. It was clear to her that Section was not like any other organization and did not have the same benefits to offer its employees. There was no maternity leave or a retirement anyone would consider looking forward to. Walter was so fearful of being retired that he preferred death in lieu of it. He was visibly agitated when his three year evaluation came up, turning into a cantankerous curmudgeon until after the evaluation was completed. Afterwards, he smiled and became his normal jovial self, prancing about Section as if he had been given a new lease on life, at least for the next three years. Her own six month evaluation had just passed with her being commended, but placed under tighter watch by not only Surveillance, but by Michael specifically. Operations had reasoned it was because Nikita, although a good operative, still insisted on doing things against Section's unwritten rule book. Her unorthodox methods often put her at odds with Section, making her a dangerous liability. So long as she completed missions successfully, she could toe the line between living and being cancelled.

She knew that meddling with Section's secrets was sure to get her killed, but she could not just allow Section to kill a woman that only wanted to have her baby be safe. She cared little for her own life, and was willing to lay it down freely if it meant that her child could live. Section pushed to have her terminate her pregnancy with the possible promise she would not be killed. They had offered for her to go through some program that, Nikita guessed, would make her a better operative. Nikita suspected Section's idea of being a better operative meant becoming more governed and manageable. Nikita envisioned Madeline sticking electrodes to Terry then using a gaming controller to direct her every move while smiling in gleeful pleasure. The way Operations sometimes behaved, she could not be sure that was exactly what he did while standing at the window of Command. What they all thought was just another panel following the progress of a mission, was really a sophisticated controller that directed operatives and manipulated them.  
"We're about to meet at the conference table in fifteen. There's a mission pending," said Petra as she passed Nikita's desk.

The stately indian woman walked across the main floor heading towards Command. Her long black hair fell down the full length of her back. Several other male operatives, including Walter, watched her with obvious interest. Petra wasn't a Valentine, even though she had all the necessary trappings to be a good one. However, she knew that Petra would never be good at doing the things that both Nikita and Michael were called to do. Petra could not hold a lie together to save her life, much less follow a script. She was good in the field with tactical and planning, but a bit too awkward to be seductive. Walter had said it plainly that Petra was like an ironing board. She was very useful for what she was intended for, but as far as any other function, she just looked odd and out of place. Nikita wondered if Section ever worried about Petra winding up pregnant by some outside lover, or did they believe her aloofness so off putting that there was no concern?

Nikita checked the clock on her monitor and gathered her things together to move to the conference table. As she walked, she thought about her own pregnancy scare. She had not told anyone about the few anxious days before taking the test. She had resolved to simply handle the discovery on her own. She knew how scared Terry was and what had driven her towards making the decision she made. It was after the Armel/First Flag mission that Nikita found herself late. She had not noticed she was off by a week until everything began to die back down at Section. She was in the bathroom when she went into her purse to sift out a tampon and noticed she had not packed one. She had been cramping part of the morning and took a mild painkiller to dull the ache. Once inside the restroom, she made preparations to take care of herself, but noticed there was no need. Her heart raced as she tried collecting her thoughts and returning back to her desk. Her eyes went to Michael's office seeing him working as usual. The rest of the day, she felt like she was breathing in hot air. She could barely type her report for Michael to review. At the end of her shift, she raced as quickly as she could from Section, not bothering to bid her usual goodbyes. That evening, once returned home, she shakily took a pregnancy test and waited nervously for the results. As she waited, her mind went over the possibilities, Scolded her carelessness, and pondered over what she would say to Michael if the test came back positive. She wondered how her life would change with a little one to take care of. She was certain both Operations and Madeline would find some kind of way to take action against her. She was sure that Michael would have a lot to want to talk about.  
At first, she could not tell anything from the faint lines on the stick. She blinked hard, feeling her breath catch in her throat and threaten to strangle her. It was then that she noticed she was not seeing two lines, but just the one control line. She breathed out a long exhale of relief. It was another hour before she could get herself calm enough to stop shaking.

She was grateful that Michael remained occupied with another mission and did not visit at her desk. Even though she was assured she was not pregnant, the idea had crossed her mind along with how she would tell him if she were. After Terry, Nikita wondered if she would ever, or would she just take care of the problem before it became a problem.

A problem.

Just by Michael's action to Terry, she already knew what his solution would be for her. He would not hesitate to offer it, even probably going as far as setting up the appointment for her so that all she would have to do is make the decision to go. He would, no doubt, enforce it by bringing up the fact that her very life depended on it. There was a time in his life when he made a different choice, when he wanted to have the child even though he knew the danger it put both himself and his then wife in. Marrying Simone was not only against Section's plans for him, it went against an unwritten rule about operatives and their relationship to one another. Certainly if his marriage was deemed a threat, having a child went beyond their permission. It was in Michael's file that the baby was born and that he and Simone had gotten into some considerable trouble because of it. Then the baby died and no more was said about Michael's marriage except that it was an occurrence, nothing more. Section was treating the whole thing as if Michael had contracted some sort of disease from which he underwent treatment and was subsequently cured. Even Simone seemed like a symptom rather than a person.

If ever they managed to find themselves together, Nikita wondered if she would be treated the same way. Would she be considered a virus to be rehabilitated from Michael? Would Section inoculate him so that he would not fall victim to her again? Would they flush her completely from his system and quarantine her so that she could not infect anyone else in Section? It was exactly what they had done to Terry, locking her away into the bowels of Section never to be seen or heard from again. When her time came to be finally expired, she would pass out of Section unnoticed and unspoken about as if she never existed there at all.

The mission was another black bag. Nikita was beginning to wonder if Section found itself at a loss for highly involved assignments where the fate of the world hung in the balance. Within the subsequent weeks, all there seemed to be were bag missions collecting data from other clandestine groups and agencies in order to stockpile that information for later use. There were less operatives in the building as well. Nikita guessed that either many of them were off on extended assignments, or at home waiting for a phone call to bring them in. She was not surprised when she was sent home as well, instructed to remain on standby and wait for a call. As much as she wanted to have the time away from Section, being on standby only meant that she could not go and meet with Terry, or peak in at her condition. The only way that she could know anything that was happening with her, was to gain the information from Birkoff, Section's resident Communications supervisor. She knew she could rely on him to filter messages, but she also knew he would be timid for fear of being caught making him slow to act. She already knew she had exhausted her liberties with Walter and could no longer lean on him for support. Michael was due to report back into Section in another week, but Nikita was cautious about employing him to get information about Terry. He would just as soon tell Operations what she was doing than risk any further involvement.

Nikita sat down at her window and looked out into the streets. The day had been chilly making her desperate for a warm beverage or a cozy blanket to curl up under. Throughout much of the day, her mind continually traveled to what-if questions and why. She thought about the missions she had been on with Michael, some of which had her in his bed pretending to be lovers. She wondered what did Section expect to happen putting two people together under such circumstances and fueled with high emotion? They could not all be soulless and unemotional. They were human, not robots, and subject to developing emotional bonds with one another. David had said that Terry was his material, just like Nikita was Michael's. He was supposed to have severed his connection with Terry, but instead, he remained attached to her, even daring to carry on a relationship right under Section's nose. It was obvious that Terry and David wanted to keep their relationship a secret, which was why Terry never gave his name when they were discussing who the father was. Terry would go as far as allowing the rumors of her relationship with Michael to fester in order to protect her real involvement with David. According to David, their relationship went against an unwritten and unspoken rule, and if broken, could be punishable to extreme measures. It was not the first time she had heard the warning about getting too close to Michael. Madeline had insinuated the idea that it was not beneficial to pursue a relationship with Michael.

"We have great plans for you, Nikita," Madeline had said with a smile so slick it nearly left a trail of slime across her face.

Nikita had not known what was meant by that, but she knew whatever plan Madeline or Operations had in mind for her would have little if anything to do with her being with Michael. She could almost guarantee that the plans made for her likely had nothing to do with her own well being or favor anything she might desire. Instead, the plans likely consisted of her service to the Section until she, like many of the other operatives, was used up and then discarded. If she had gotten pregnant, because of her exposure to Michael, he would likely be held accountable. It would not matter that her pregnancy would have come as a direct result of the Section's insistence on authenticity. They would still be punished for producing something that was not commanded for them to produce or necessary for the mission. No one had to tell her that Michael's marriage to Simone was not completely recognized by Section. She supposed by their sheer insistence, they were allowed to state their bond so long as they did what they were instructed to do despite their vows. So long as Michael did not balk at having to sleep with different women and Simone did not interfere with missions, they were allowed to pretend they had a choice to be together. However, once Simone became pregnant, their marriage came into direct conflict with Section's plans making them both a threat. It was because of that threat, Michael believed Section attacked his family, killing his child and tearing his bond with his wife apart. It took Terry's unplanned circumstance to make Nikita understand, at least partially, of why Michael never spoke about his own lost child. He and Simone had to make the same choice that Terry and David, but unlike Terry and David, Michael and Simone did what was expected of them. They continued to play by the rules and do as they were told. Yet, they were still punished. Despite the fact that Michael still loved Simone, Nikita got the sense that their marriage had been over long before she was ever taken by Errol Sparks. Section had won the fight for Michael's soul by eliminating everything that kept him torn between his loyalties. With Nikita, they studied them like lab rats, watching for any sign of the two of them forming a bond deeper than just physical attraction. As they likely did with Michael and Simone, Section continually forced the two of them into situations that made them interact with each other intimately. If they began to develop any type of care for one another, Section would threaten to destroy them. It was made clear that Michael could have her, so long as he did not care about her. She could have him so long as she did not want him. Nikita supposed the same was implied to Terry and David one time before, causing them to bury their relationship. It had seemed the two mastered the art of misdirection by keeping their meetings spaced apart and very short, giving no time for any real feelings to develop. In spite of their careful planning, a child still came from their love for one another.

Nikita struggled a little carrying her purchases into the entry door of her building. She had spent much of the day shopping aimlessly in different boutiques buying clothing and accessories she knew she did not need and might not even wear. Yet, because she needed to do something to fill up the growing expanse of time between Section mission calls, she found skimming through racks of designer clothes a welcome retreat from the monotony of each day. As she approached her door, she barely noticed the man sitting on the floor waiting for her. He stood quickly, avoiding her boots as she shuffled towards the door. His blue eyes met solid with Nikita. He smiled pleasantly.

"Hi. Can I help you with that?" David reached for one of Nikita's arm load of shopping bags.

"I've got it," said Nikita even though she was already losing her grip.

David ignored her and reached for the bag that was quickly slipping out of her grip. He took it and another bag relieving Nikita enough for her to get out her keys and enter her apartment. Once inside, she put her purchases down on the counter top and tossed her keys beside the bags.

"Just put them over there," Nikita instructed pointing to the couch.

David set the bags down and turned to face Nikita. He stood a moment in his camel colored long overcoat, looking around at her apartment taking in its eclectic design. Nikita warily watched him as she went into her fridge to grab a bottled water. She twisted off the cap and tossed it into the sink.

"So what are you doing here?" Nikita took a long swig of water.

David focused his gaze back to Nikita. His eyes were extremely expressive, telling her he had a whole lot to say. It was an expression she was not very used to with most of Section's operatives. She could excuse herself for being a bit too emotive at times, but seeing someone else be just as readable was alarming.

"Have you talked to Terry?"" David began.

"No. Not lately," said Nikita.

"What have they said so far about what they will do with her?"

Nikita crossed her arms and made a huffing noise.

"Since when did you care about what happens to her?" There was challenge in her tone as she leveled her gaze with him.

"I've always cared," said David. "Is she going to go through with having the baby or not?"

Nikita uncrossed her arms. "As far as I know right now, yes. She still plans to have the baby."

"And?"

"And...I guess the Section is still deciding. I mean, they still have the fact that she tried to sell Section out to Bates for her own protection. They aren't just going to let that go just because she is pregnant."

David shook his head looking more troubled than he already did. He put his fists on his hips and paced a little between the couch and coffee table in front of it. Nikita watched him, still very wary, but also noticing the very real misery he was in. It had been nearly two weeks since she had seen him. Even though he looked quite dapper in his full length coat and deep burgundy sweater, he looked like he had not bothered to shave in a few days. However, even in his roughened state, Nikita could not forget the quiet allure of his very presence in her apartment. She could see exactly why Terry had settled for just being physically intimate with David. There was a sensuous aura about him, and a vulnerability that made her want to draw closer to him.

"I don't know how I could help her," David admitted rather defeated. He sat down in a heap on the couch. "I can't go to her. I can't talk to her. Hell, I can't even appeal to find a home for the baby."

David leaned forward and put his face in his hands.

"God! I wish this wasn't happening."

Nikita pulled herself from where she stood and went to sit down beside David. She cautiously put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. David barely acknowledged Nikita's presence. He dragged his fingers over his face and let out a very tired and confused sigh.

"We can figure this out together," said Nikita softly. "You don't have to do this on your own."

"I wouldn't have to do anything at all if you had not told me," David's tone was a mix of anguish and anger. "She's already busted, and if Section digs a little deeper, they will find me holding the bag, and then they will cancel me, too."

"You really don't care what happens to Terry at all, do you?" Nikita took back her hand. She stared appalled at the man she was trying to comfort.

"Why care now?" David did not look at Nikita, but instead focused on a spot in the apartment as if seeing whatever images were being projected into his mind. "She's already dead. There's nothing that I can do about that."

"Why don't you let me worry about Terry. You concentrate on seeing if you can save your child before Section gets it."

Nikita's words seemed to capture David. He turned half way to face her.

"Have you talked to Michael about all this? Your plan to break Terry free and save her baby?"

"I never said we were breaking Terry free."

"It's what you are implying we risk our lives to do, isn't it?" You wouldn't bring up Terry's imprisonment if you weren't thinking of freeing her too."

David did not take his eyes from Nikita as he dissected the very idea that had been rolling in her mind for days. It wouldn't be enough to simply save the baby if Terry were not alive or David not care what happened to it. Michael would tell her to simply leave the whole thing alone, but she knew that she couldn't. Not with an innocent child involved.  
"So what do you suppose we do? Just let her rot?"

David shook his head, once more traveling deep within his thoughts.

"I don't know."

"Maybe when Michael returns-"

"No," said David sharply. He looked at Nikita with emphasis. "I don't want him involved. He'll only make things worse."

"He tried to protect her," Nikita defended, feeling somewhat protective of Michael despite knowing what David was saying could be true.

"Well, his protection didn't do much for her, now did it." David's tone dripped with disdain. "She's on the block and he's probably somewhere getting his legs waxed."

Nikita smirked. She knew enough about Michael to know he was definitely not getting anything waxed. She folded her arms and tried to keep from telling David off in response to his not so hidden attacks against Michael.

"All I'm saying is that he could help. He knows a whole lot more about Section and its rules than we do. He might know something that could help us."

"You have a high opinion of Michael, don't you.."

Nikita leaned back into the cushions of the couch.

"I do have an opinion of him. I don't think it is wrong to use whatever resource we can get. Michael seems to know a lot about Section. He is trusted. He might can find out some answers that we can't."

David did not look very convinced.

"I've known Michael long enough to know he never does anything that doesn't benefit him. Finding out what will happen to Terry's baby would run him in the opposite direction from beneficial. I can guarantee you he is not going to want to help with that."

"He might surprise you."

"I doubt it. Michael is as much Section as Paul and Madeline are."

Nikita could not refute this. She sat up, clasping her hands together, finding her way into her own thoughts. It was true that Michael rarely went against Section, except in cases that directly involved her, and even then, it was always with a sliver of reluctance. When it came to Terry, she had found it necessary to lie to Michael in hopes of protecting her. They both knew what Michael would do, yet he still managed to surprise them both by going along with their scheme. He had even tried to fix the problem before Section became aware of it, but to no avail. Maybe the plan was not fully fleshed out before the meeting with Bates. There just was not enough time and Terry had reacted more out of fear than she did out of logic. Had she not sided with Bates in the first place, she would likely be saved from her fate, but would have to lose her baby as the blood price.  
"You've got to get into the Classified files. Find out their plan for the baby. Where they are sending it."

"I don't have the clearance anymore. They change the codes weekly and I've been out for nearly three weeks now."

"Whose clearance were you using?"

"Not sure, really. A friend helped me get down there. I doubt I'll get the same help twice."

David looked very frustrated. He wrung his hands again, collecting himself.

"I was hoping to stay away from this, but I guess I can't. I can get you in, but Nikita, you gotta be careful. You can't be caught. You understand? No one can see you down there."  
"I know, I know," said Nikita.

"I'll meet you there tomorrow morning. There won't be as many personnel there. You'll need to be quick."

David stood up. He started for the door before turning back to Nikita. Once more, his expression looked pained and full of emotion.  
"This has to remain between us, Nikita. No Michael. No anyone."

"Of course."

"I mean it, Nikita. You can't tell Michael anything. Telling Michael is like telling Section."

Nikita nodded, understanding. David left from her apartment.

CHAPTER SIX

Nikita walked into Section, eyes wide and alert. She knew if she was spotted that she might be questioned as to why she was there when she was not called. She carefully avoided her usual pathway and headed towards Systems on the lower level. She narrowly missed Birkoff as he walked leisurely through the area carrying a disc file. He whistled as he went and returned to his desk in Communications. When she arrived in Systems, she found a computer that faced the entryway so that she could see anyone coming into the area. She logged onto the database and searched for the containment file that would show all the prisoners held on Level 5. She scanned the video feed until she came across Terry's cell. She remained as she was before, sitting on her bed staring up into the ceiling. Nikita was grateful to know that she was still there and had not been moved. She continued to stare at her, feeling remorse and regret for all that happened to land her in the cell. She wished more than anything that she had simply allowed Terry to escape that night at the poolside party. She had not counted on Terry bolting, but she knew if she had not gone after her, Section would have found her much sooner than she had estimated. Even though she had to be dragged back to Section literally kicking and screaming, it was probably for the best.

"What are you looking at?"

Nikita jumped, startled.

David leaned in and saw the footage of Terry in her room.

"The worst thing they could ever do to an operative like Terry is lock her away with her thoughts," said David standing over Nikita.

She had not noticed him coming into the area. She had become so drawn into her thoughts that she did not notice anyone else in the room with her.

"They'll probably move her," said David. "They don't like to keep people around long down there. Requires too much personal care."

David reached and began keying in a code on the keyboard. The screen switched to a scroll of file names, some of which were deemed classified. He moved the cursor down the list until he came to a file which he clicked on.

"What is this?" Nikita read through part of the file but was not sure what she was reading.

"Mission intel," said David, continuing to scroll.

"What mission?"

David was quiet. Nikita turned slowly, narrowing her eyes at David.

"What mission?"

"The Hammon Project. It was a mission that Michael and I were on together. It was also when he found out."

"Found out what?" Nikita began reading some of the mission notes as David paused to speak.

The mission was not supposed to turn into a bloodbath, but did somehow. The report directed attention towards an operative not being at their assigned position due to sudden sickness. Michael, a Level 5 operative then, hung back to check on the operative that had fallen ill. Their delay exposed the team. A gun battle ensued. Four operatives were killed resulting in a near mission failure. Michael was commended for grabbing the dossier they went in to get and capturing a scientist to interrogate. David was team leader at the time and was the one giving the report. His account only stated that Michael went back to aid the sick operative.

"What did Michael find out, David?"

"He found out about Simone on that mission. He didn't know she was pregnant. She wasn't going to tell him. She was going to have the child aborted before he found out, only...she got sick during the mission. She had to be pulled out. This led to her having to undergo a full re-evaluation and them finding out about her pregnancy."

"Obviously she pulled through fine, right. They didn't do anything to her. They didn't kill her, or else she wouldn't have been on Michael's team during the first Glass Curtain mission."

David scrolled down to the final notes of the mission. He read quickly before exiting the file.

"I wouldn't say that they didn't do anything to her. They did something. Whatever they had done, it changed her."

David righted himself and started out of Systems. Nikita fast followed after him, wanting to know more. David looked down the hall, checking to see if anyone was coming their way before proceeding further, heading in the direction of the stairwell. Nikita started to ask him more questions when he pressed a finger to his lips telling her to be quiet. His wary electric eyes went slightly wider as two Communications officers passed by them, not noticing David and Nikita standing in the semi-dark corners of the stairwell. The officers went inside Systems. David motioned for Nikita to follow him down the stairs to the lower levels of Section.

"What are we looking for down here?" said Nikita, noticing they were passing Level 5 and going deeper underground.

"We need to get to the Master File and try and find out what happened with Simone's evaluation. Michael had been called in, too, but not because of the pregnancy. The Master File will detail what those meetings concluded."

They entered onto a level that looked heavily gated by a large steel door flanked by two surveillance cameras. Nikita remained in the shadowy cover of the stairwell while David stepped in front of the door and surrendered his eye to the optical scan. He then placed his palm on the reader that came out in response to the scan. The door opened to allow David in. Nikita started to follow him in, but David held up his hand stopping her. She retreated back and waited. He was inside the walled off room for only a few minutes before he emerged from it walking quickly. He pushed Nikita back through the stairwell door just as Section Control Officers came down the elevator. He turned and met the officers as Nikita watched from the small door window. Nikita looked down at her hand and saw that he had passed her a small disc. The officers grabbed David and escorted him to the elevator. Nikita looked down at the disc again, understanding what David had done and made her way back up the stairwell to the main level.

Once on the main level, Nikita carefully made her way towards transport, avoiding the attention of anyone that she knew. She stopped momentarily at the transport exit doors and looked back down the hall. She hoped that David was not in any serious trouble as it did look like he was not supposed to be where they were even if he did have clearance. She wondered if she should wait for him, or, at the very least, try and find out what happened to him. Her heart was racing strong in her chest, and she could not quiet the pounding in her head. The door to Transport's exit opened revealing Michael standing like a black wall in front of her. His cold eyes regarded her icily.  
"What are you doing here?" he asked.

Nikita fumbled to find words. Michael stared at her with the coldest of eyes that it made Nikita shudder slightly. He stepped out of the waiting area and into the hall. He was dressed in a black suit, single breasted with his injured leg secured in a brace.

"I just had to check something at my workstation," Nikita answered.

"What did you have to check?"

"Just a report," Nikita airly responded, hoping her nonchalant attitude would hold up her lie. "I wanted to make sure I had given Petra all the information from the last assignment."

"Why didn't you do it at home?" Michael did not relax his demeanor.

"Something is wrong with my computer. It may have a virus."

"You should bring it in to have it checked. Has anyone else been in your apartment lately?"

Nikita shook her head. "No."

"Do you think your computer has been compromised in some way?"

"No."

"Do you think it's been hacked remotely?"

"My computer hasn't been hacked, Michael." Nikita was growing weary of answering Michael's questions. She knew she had to remember to keep her composure as she already could sense he was analyzing her every move both verbally and non-verbally.

"How would you know that it wasn't hacked?"

"Because I would know," Nikita responded, holding meaning in her eyes and leveling them with Michael.

Michael looked away, but did not move. "Still. You should bring in your computer to have it checked." He returned his very wary gaze back to her. "Can't be too careful."

"I know that, Michael. That's why I came here. To be careful."

"You're not supposed to be here, though," Michael said evenly.

"Fine, then I'm not supposed to be here. If it makes it better for you, I was never here." Nikita could not help the small slip of venom in her response.

Michael regarded her for a long moment, testing her resolve. Nikita continued to stand straight, her eyes matched with Michael's, and her jaw tense.

"What are you doing?" Michael finally asked.

"Nothing. I told you. I went to check a report."

"Does Petra know that you are here to revise the mission summary?"

"No. I felt no need to tell her anything if I didn't change anything on the report."

"What were you doing with it?"

Nikita suppressed an urge to roll her eyes and yell at Michael, but, instead, she gave out a pressured sigh. She put her hands on her hips and took a stance.

"Look, Michael. I've told you why I was here. If you don't believe me, just go check my desk. You'll see that I was viewing a mission report, but I didn't change anything on it."

Nikita truly hoped that the last thing that she did on her computer before being sent home was the mission report with Petra. She remembered that one of the last things that she did was look over the report, but she could not be certain that she had not taken one last look in on Terry. She hoped that it was not the last record of her log-in. Michael continued to stare at her, only this time, his expression was more relaxed and seemed less aggressive.

"You should get home," he said, his tone a little softer.

"Was on my way out, actually."

"Good."

Nikita gave Michael a cautious look before maneuvering around him. She could feel his eyes still on her as she went to the elevator. She turned back to see him watching. The elevator doors opened. Nikita stepped inside. When she looked back again to the hallway, it was empty. Michael was no longer standing watching her. She let out another sigh, one of great relief mixed with worry as she pressed the elevator button to go up.

Once she got back home, Nikita barely put down her keys on the countertop before racing over to her computer. She slid in the file disc and waited for it to load. Her mind went back over the moment David was taken by the Control Officers. He did not fight them as they took hold of his arms on both sides and led him towards the elevators.  
He must have known he would get caught, Nikita thought as the file uploaded and displayed its content on her screen. She looked through the records noting many of them were performance evaluations completed over time. It felt odd going through a dead woman's personnel file. She was certain had Michael found out that she had it, he would have taken it from her and likely report her.

Or maybe he wouldn't have, Nikita thought.

It was not like Michael had never stuck his neck out for her before, and for much less reason to do so. He had defied Section rules and altered plans to keep her safe. He had gone as far as jeopardizing the success of missions to make sure that she did not get hurt, putting himself in the direct cross hairs of both Madeline and Operations. Of course, none of her actions involved meddling about with Section's classified information. It was understood that she could question everything that Section did, but she should never try to dig deeper than what they were willing to tell her. It was clear that it did not matter who she was or her reason, she was to keep out of areas Section and even Michael did not want her in.

Nikita looked through the files and came to one that was labeled PURGATION. She clicked on it. A video file appeared showing a young woman with long black hair dressed in all white sitting in the White Room strapped to a chair. She was blindfolded as she waited. A moment later, Madeline appeared in the room and began circling the chair.

"It's a pity to have to come to this, Simone. I hope you know that it pains me greatly to have you here like this."

Simone sat silent in her chair, not moving a muscle. Madeline continued to circle like a shark studying its prey.

"I also hope that you understand that it is not our aim to cancel you. Things happen. I get it. Although your situation could have been avoided had you and Michael taken extra precaution with one another, I believe there is still much that can be salvaged from you...As long as you cooperate with us."

Madeline stopped circling and stood directly in front of Simone. She placed her hands behind her back and waited for the operative to speak. Instead, Simone remained quiet and still like a statue on a metal podium.

"You're still in the very early stages of your pregnancy, Simone. If you agree to have the procedure done, you could be returned back to active status within a few days. If not, then there is much more to be discussed."

"What is it that you want me to say?" Simone finally said in a quiet and subdued tone.

"The truth."

"I've already told you the truth."

"And I don't believe you." Madeline took a step closer. "You and Michael are very close. So close that the two of you have considered yourselves married even though we have been crystal clear about that. There are things that he will have to do that will go against being married. Do you think it wise to compound your issue with having a baby? What does Michael say about this?"

"He doesn't say anything about it. He doesn't want it."

"But you do?" Madeline rested back on her heels and began circling the chair again. "You are going to carry this child even though you know that both Section and Michael are against you doing so?"

Simone swallowed.

"Do you love Michael?" Madeline asked.

Nikita tensed, knowing the answer. She watched as Madeline stared at Simone, weighing her answers and making a mental assessment.  
"He is my husband," Simone answered.

"Yes, but do you love him?" Madeline seemed undeterred from her question.

"Yes, I love Michael."

"Do you think that Michael loves you?"

Simone swallowed hard again.

"Michael is going to be given a very special assignment. One in which a marriage will not be beneficial to him, nor will a baby. He will need to be free to work however way necessary. If he is married to you, he might not complete his mission. If you have this baby, the odds of him completing the mission become very low while the odds of him getting killed become very high." Madeline stopped directly behind Simone's chair. "If you love Michael like you say that you do, you will agree to sever all communication and relations with him."

Simone dropped her chin a little. Madeline lifted the corners of her mouth.

"I will never stop loving him…"

"That's fine. You can love him all that you want. He can be quite the lovable type."

This time Simone turned her head in the direction from where Madeline was standing and speaking.

"He will never stop loving me." Simone spoke as if her words were a threat, one that Madeline took appropriately serious.

Madeline made a huffing sound and walked back towards the door.

"We'll see."

She gave a tap alerting the guards outside to allow her out. The video ended. The files under the video gave reports of Simone's care and condition while in containment. A psych evaluation stated that Simone was stable and mentally sharp, showing no signs of strain or discomfort to her current circumstance. Her health remained well despite her growing pregnancy. She was taken out of active status and transported to another undisclosed location. The following reports were from a Section doctor giving details about Simone's condition and her overall well-being. Nikita searched for another video file, hoping to learn more about Madeline's interrogation of Simone. Instead, there was only a recording. She clicked on it.

"You do understand this is purely voluntary. We are not asking you officially to go through with this," Madeline's voice was heard saying.

"I know," another voice whispered.

"Are you sure you want to do this? Once it's done, you cannot go back. The treatment is irreversible."

There was silence, but Nikita got the sense that whoever the other person was had given a nonverbal consent.

"Very well. Please. Have a seat."

There was the sound of movement.

"You've already given your written consent to the procedure to Operations. We appreciate that. We also appreciate your full cooperation in this matter. I know it cannot be easy for you."

Still silence. Madeline continued.

"I can assure you, the resulting outcome will make the next few weeks less stressful for you. You will be able to continue your work as normal and will remain at your current active status. The only thing that will be different will be your emotional attachment to Simone."

Nikita sat up straight, realizing who the other person was in the room with Madeline.

"Will I remember it?" Michael asked. Nikita could hear clear pain in his voice. "Will I remember her?"

"Yes," said Madeline carefully. "You will remember her. Certain things about her, but has far as your attachment to her, you won't remember too much of it. The program is designed to retain as much of your memory as possible while blocking out the emotional connection to those memories. You will know that you were considered married to her, know the details of her participation on your team, as well as other pertinent information that you would know about a fellow operative as a team lead."  
"I just won't feel anything for her."

Michael's voice sounded cold and resolute.

"Yes," Madeline answered bluntly. "Any more questions before we begin?"

"One last one," said Michael.

"Yes?"

"Will I remember why I did this?"

It was Madeline's turn to be quiet. It was a long moment before anything was heard again.

"If you tried hard enough, you might, but...I would hardly think that you would want to remember any of this. When we are through, you will not know that we had this conversation, or even that this procedure exists. You will wake with no memory whatsoever of the events that led up to this moment. It will be a blank to you. My advice is for you to leave it blank."

There was a sound of a door opening and something being wheeled into the room.

"Relax. The less you resist, the less painful it will be."

The recording ended.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Nikita did not wait until she was called in before showing up at Michael's office door. The cold of late fall pushed its way into the lower corridors of Section making everything look even more bleak and stark inside as it looked outside. Nikita put on an over-sized wool brown sweater over top faux snakeskin patterned pants and brown leather boots. She spied Michael working diligently as usual at his desk, pausing only for a moment to take a sip of his coffee. He seemed a little surprised to see Nikita standing in his doorway looking at him with determined intensity. Without speaking a word, he pulled out a small panel from under his desk and keyed in a code to secure the room. Nikita stepped into the office and closed the door. She took a seat in the chair in front of his desk and looked at him warily. Michael sat back in his seat, folding his hands on the desk in front of him.  
"They moved Terry," Nikita said finally after a prolonged pause between them.

"I know."

"Do you know where they took her?" Nikita folded her own hands in front of her and rested them on her stomach.

"No."

"Do you care?" Nikita cocked her head slightly, keeping her gaze steady with Michael.

Michael drew in a breath, shifting his eyes away for a moment before answering. "If I had needed to know, they would have told me."

"That's not what I asked." Nikita sat up and moved forward with purposeful intent. "I asked if you cared what happened to her?"

"She's not my concern now."

"So you don't care if she, or her baby, lives or dies."

"Nikita, what is this about?" There was a hair of annoyance in his tone.

"What has Section done to you to make you so damn cold that you can't even feel anything for someone you considered a friend?" Nikita no longer wanted to beat about the bush. She was never good at it.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Five years ago, you let Section do something to you shortly after Simone's supposed death by Glass Curtain. You went for a treatment. Do you remember what they did to you?"  
Michael's expression flickered with confusion before returning back to his normal blank facade.

"Nikita," he began, but did not finish the sentence. Instead, he let out an exhausted sigh. "Whatever you think you know, you're wrong about it. Section has not done anything to me."

"Maybe they did, they just made it so you wouldn't remember it. At least not without trying." Nikita pushed in closer, reaching across the desk towards him. "They did something to you, Michael."

Michael continued to stare, unmoved.

"I found this recording. A recording that had you speaking with Madeline right before you underwent some procedure that caused you not to remember certain things about Simone. You volunteered for it."

Michael's eyes shifted down.

"They wanted you to not have an emotional attachment to Simone. They didn't want you to feel anything for her anymore. Do you remember that, any of that at all?"

"No."

"Have you tried to?"

Michael lifted his eyes to meet Nikita squarely. His jaw clenched with obvious defiance. Nikita pulled back slightly, noticing a change in his demeanor.  
"You said you found these recordings. Where did you get them?"

"Does it matter where? The fact that they are there and that they point to Section manipulating operatives is enough to want to investigate it. I mean, how long have they been doing this? What exactly are they doing to us, any of us? Are they treating us like lab rats, doing strange experiments on us?"

"You're way over your head, Nikita," said Michael flatly.

"Don't you want to know what's been going on here? How are they handling cases like Terry? Surely they aren't cancelling everyone that gets pregnant. Where do they take the mothers? What do they do with the babies? Don't you ever wonder what they did to your baby?"

"I didn't have a baby, Nikita."

"The medical records say that Simone was pregnant. Michael. She had a baby. Your baby."

"Simone was never pregnant."

Nikita sat back in her seat, seeing Michael's stoney expression covering what could have been at one time real emotion. The man she was looking at now was not Michael, but rather was a program that Section created to repeat the same answer to any question regarding Simone's pregnancy. She stared long at Michael, watching to see if there would be any change in him that might tell her something more that he otherwise would not say aloud. Instead, only the same vacuous look he always carried repeated back to her.  
"They've changed you," Nikita said, beginning to stand slowly. "You weren't always this way. I know it." Nikita backed slowly towards the door. "What have they done to you?"  
"They made me better." Michael's icicle eyes grew colder and even more inhuman.

Nikita shuddered slightly feeling the chill from them enter into her body. She turned quickly to the door and opened it, leaving out fast. She walked past the office window and saw Michael still staring at her from between the blinds, his face as blank as the walls in his office.

Consumed in thought, Nikita barely noticed Walter walking up to her carrying his usual jovial smile. He greeted her in his normal way, but Nikita did not respond.

"Something wrong, Sugar?" Walter asked, already concerned.

Nikita shook her head absently. "No. Nothing."

"Sure doesn't look like nothing," said Walter. He took NIkita by her shoulders and made her look at him directly. "Are you sure you're alright? You look like you have a lot on your mind."

Nikita looked at Walter and saw genuine concern in his dark brown eyes. Normally, she would simply shrug the old man off with a quick teasing quip, but this time, she could not bring herself to joke. Speaking with Michael had never before felt so alien and unnerving as it just did. She felt like she was talking to a computer rather than a person. The thing wearing Michael's skin moved and spoke with his words, but it did not act the way she knew Michael should act. However, she knew it was him by the subtle way his eyes regarded her until she got to the subject of Simone and her baby. Something else entirely took over him then, and changed him.

"Walter, is there somewhere we could talk? You know, privately?" Nikita asked, allowing herself to be completely vulnerable in that moment.  
Walter gave Nikita a quick once over, noticing her state.

"Certainly. Come and step into my office here."

Walter led Nikita back into the armory where he signaled for her to be quiet a moment while he sparked up a blow torch. The steady hiss of the flame made a sound that conveniently covered up their voices just enough to not be picked up by Surveillance. Walter pretended to work on another project while he talked with Nikita.

"What's on your mind, Sweet cakes?"

"They moved Terry," Nikita began. "I don't know where they've taken her."

"Probably to a safe house. She will be fine there."

"Maybe." Nikita toyed with a spring left on Walter's workstation. "Or maybe not. Walter, I've found out some things that are a bit odd when it comes to Section and their maternity policies."

"Oh?" Walter continued to solder a thin piece of metal to another.

"They tried to get Simone to abort her baby. Then they did something to Michael...Simone had her baby. She was pregnant. Wasn't she?"

"Some of us believe she was," Walter said carefully choosing his words. "Some of us believe she wasn't. What we all know is that she got very ill and had to be put on inactive status for some time."

"Ill," Nikita repeated, not buying the answer at all. "You mean pregnant."

"I never said that," said Walter. "I said she was made inactive. There could be a million reasons why Section can make you inactive."

"They decommissioned her because she was pregnant and she wanted to keep her baby. Do you know what they do with the children?"

Walter sighed heavily. He lifted his helmet and looked at Nikita a moment before cutting off the soldering iron. He moved further back into the armory and motioned for Nikita to follow him. Nikita walked back through the rows of shelves laden with tools and gadgets to be used during a mission. Walter made like he was searching for something through one of the cabinets making a considerable amount of noise while he searched.

"There once was a woman here. She worked in Surveillance. She got pregnant. They say she had twins. Section caught wind and she was taken out of Surveillance and put in Containment for a while before transporting her to a safe house. While there, she had her babies. Two boys. Operations gave her a choice to let one live outside of Section and let one stay inside."

"Why would Operations want a baby?" 

"It was part of an experiment. One that both Operations and Madeline worked hard to keep not only a secret from George, but also a secret from any of the rest of us. They wanted to know if an operative could be made, or rather grown like one of Madeline's bonsai trees. It was truly an experiment of Nature versus Nurture."

"Well, what happened to them? What happened to the mother?"

Walter rummaged around in a bin of spare parts before selecting a cylinder shaped object.

"The two babies grew up and became exactly what Section wanted them to become. The mother was given the choice to remain with the kid inside Section or with the kid outside of Section. She chose to live outside, however, Section wasn't going to let her go just that easy. She had to give daily reports of the child she opted to take care of up until the point where he could take care of himself, which would've been when he turned eighteen."

Walter started back towards his workstation.

"And then what?" What happened to mother?" NIkita followed after Walter.

"The same thing that happens to everybody that becomes useless. Once he turned eighteen, she was...taken care of. Car accident I think is what they used. She was dead before her body cooled on the pavement."

The blunt way in which Walter spoke made Nikita pull herself back from him a little. There was a seriousness in his eyes that was not always there. She was not used to Walter appearing so vacant and void of emotion. He continued to solder his contraption, exercising extra care with one particular small piece.

"Is the kid still here?"

"Yeah, he's still here."

Nikita looked around at the other operatives walking back and forth through the main floor. Most of them were young and pulled fresh from training. Most of them she knew did not seem to fit Walter's story. Only a few operatives looked like they could possibly be the one that Walter spoke about.

"How old would the kid be now?" asked Nikita, still scanning the floor.

"Old enough," Walter responded warily. "The thing is, he doesn't know he's a twin, or even how he came about being at Section. What memories he does have are planted there by Section."

Nikita continued to look around at all the different faces inside the Section. Many of them held the same lifeless gaze as they went about their work. Walter's words came back to her harshly, remembering what he said once more about the ninety-five percent of operatives. Section had done more than sucked out their souls. It had changed many of them as well, so much so that they ceased to be anything like their living selves once were. Michael stepped from his office and headed towards Command. She watched as he strode across the main floor, his expression reading nothing. She used to think of his natural swagger as being a physical show of his confidence and possibly arrogance. Now watching him, she thought maybe his very distinctive walk was all that was left of his former self. The last and only thing that truly defined who he had been in his past life. It was fitting that it was something he was not completely conscious of doing.

"What was the outcome of the experiment with the two babies?"

"There isn't an outcome. At least not yet. As far as I know, they are still experimenting."

Nikita shook her head, no longer able to hold back her own horror.

"Walter, what are they doing with these babies? What are they doing to us?"

Walter stopped soldering for a moment. He lifted his mask and considered Nikita's question.

"My guess...Controlling us."

CHAPTER EIGHT

Nikita walked briskly towards her apartment. The evening had come quickly and dove the city into the blackest of nights before eight o'clock. The wind outside howled menacingly leaving Nikita to feel both cold and more than aware that she was being followed. She stealthily pulled out her taser and readied it in her gloved hand. She rounded the corner into the courtyard and cast a quick glance behind her. She saw no one immediately, but she did not for once think that she was alone. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rising as she reached the door leading into her building. Once inside, she made her way down the hall and to her apartment door. She fumbled with her keys, dropping them. The door to the apartment next door opened abruptly. Nikita stood straight up, bracing herself.

"Hey there you! Haven't seen you in a while. What's up?" Carla smiled as she hung partially out of her apartment.

Nikita felt herself relax a little, seeing her neighbor's warm expression. She fiddled with her keys, finally locating the right one to open her door.

"Nothing much. You know. Just working is all." Nikita tried to sound as breezy as she could despite her nervousness.

"Same here," said Carla. "I feel like I've been all over the country when I've only been to two states. I just got back this morning."

"Well, that's good," said Nikita, not really wanting to remain in the hall for much longer. "It's good to have you back."

"Good to be back," said Carla. She studied Nikita a moment, noticing her nervousness. "Hey. You alright?"

Nikita got her door open finally and stepped inside.

"I'm fine."

"Need some company?"

Carla was nearly out of her apartment now. Nikita shook her head, desperately wanting to be alone, especially if someone dangerous was following her. She did not want to risk getting Carla hurt.

"It's been a long day. I think I'm just going to relax. Drink some wine. Read a book."

"Oh," said Carla, retreating a step back inside her apartment. "Well, maybe some other time, right."

"Yeah. It's good to see you."

"Same here."

Nikita closed her door leaving Carla to look at her curiously. She tossed her keys onto the counter and let out another long and breathy sigh, pushing out all of her anxieties. Inside of her apartment, she could at least feel a measure of safety, surrounded by familiar walls and objects. She looked around and jumped seeing a male figure seated at her dining table. His legs were crossed and his head propped on his fist. Nikita looked further into the shadows and recognized who the figure was. She relaxed again.  
"Jesus, Michael! You scared the piss out of me!"

"Last time it was the cat. What's your excuse this time?"

Nikita gave Michael a smirk as she went to grab a beer from her fridge.

"No excuse. Just didn't see you there."

"You really need to work on that."

"What are you, stalking me now? What the hell are you doing here?" Nikita could not hide her annoyance.

Michael stood up from his seat and walked over to where Nikita stood drinking her beer. He was dressed in his long coat and black suit as if he had come directly from Section. His hardened stare seized Nikita and held her in place. Instead of trembling before him, Nikita glared back at him and took a defiant swig of her beer.

"What are you doing, Nikita?"

"I don't know what you're asking me. What am I doing that you don't like exactly?"

"You're in over your head. Whatever it is that you are up to, I'm asking you to stop."

"I'm not up to anything, Michael. You're just being paranoid."

Nikita tried to move away from Michael, but he stopped her by putting a hand against the refrigerator blocking her path. Nikita turned her steely gaze back towards Michael. She slid down the door of the fridge and went under his arm.

"Nikita, I'm trying to help you." There was something of an air of concern in his tone.

"How could you when you couldn't even help yourself? Or your wife? Your child."

Michael dropped his arm and shoved his hands into the pockets of his trousers. He cast a quick glance up towards Nikita then circled over towards the couch. Nikita watched him, noticing a marked difference in his behavior now that he was outside of Section. He seemed less constrained and more intune with himself than he was there. Nikita leaned against her stove.

"I know you think what you are doing is helping Terry in some way, but believe me when I tell you that you are only making things worse for everyone."

"I only want to know the truth."

"In this case, Nikita, the truth might be a lot worse than what you are led to believe. Are you sure you want to risk it?"

Nikita emptied her bottle and set it down on the counter. She huffed out air, considering her answer.

"If they are messing with our heads, making us think things, or act a certain way, I would want to know about it. Terry isn't the only operative to get pregnant, I'm sure. She won't be the last either. What are they doing with these babies if they decide to have them instead of terminating them?"

Michael stood watching NIkita, his face drawn long with evident sadness. Michael could almost always hide himself when he wanted. Nikita was happy to see that he was not choosing to hide now. Instead, he looked empathetic as she spoke.

"Section...has lots of secrets. Some of which are best not to know about."

Nikita leaned onto the island in front of her and looked Michael directly in the eyes.

"They did something to you, Michael. Don't you wanna know why?"

"Whatever they did to me, it was of my own free will."

"But why would you have chosen to have your memory wiped if there was not something you no longer wanted to remember? Something like the death of your child?"  
Michael dropped his gaze. He appeared to be genuinely agitated. He turned away from Nikita and faced her patio doors to stare out into the sullen night.

"It happened, Michael," Nikita continued. She began to draw closer to Michael. "Simone was pregnant. She did have a baby. The baby did die. It wasn't a dream. It did happen."  
She was close enough to him now that she could see the pain of memories resonating on his face. In the corner of his eye, a tiny tear emerged. Nikita reached and touched his shoulder.

"It happened, Michael."

"I was very close to killing myself and everyone else inside the Section. I was going to rig a bomb to go off and take out as many people as I possibly could," Michael whispered. "I didn't want to live anymore knowing that they could take that away from me too."

Nikita looked on with growing horror and sorrow knowing that Michael was not only telling her his deepest truths, but that he was also opening up part of himself that he would most certainly keep very well hidden. Slowly, she pulled him towards the couch and eased him down into the seat. Michael sat with his head still hanging low and wringing his hands together. She could see he was visibly beginning to shake.

"Somehow, Madeline knew what I was thinking and she gave me an alternative. I took it."

"Madeline wanted to make you forget about your feelings for Simone. She was trying to erase that part from your mind."

"Yes. And for the most part, it worked. I found that I didn't feel the same about Simone. I still loved her, and I didn't stop looking for her when she disappeared, but...I think what they did, whatever they did, was take away the one single most bond I had with her."

"Do you think Section killed your child?" Nikita did not mean to be blunt, but she also knew that it was the only way she would get a straight answer from Michael.

"No. I thought that at first, but it was probably because I was angry. I don't think that they did anything. I think it just happened."

"They would have taken the baby away had the baby lived."

"Yes."  
"Where would they have taken it?"

"Maybe down deeper into Section. Places where None of us could ever go." Michael swiveled his head over towards Nikita, meeting her eyes. "I've made my peace with it, Nikita. Leave it alone."

"They've changed you," said Nikita quietly. Even though they were sitting right next to each other, she felt very far from Michael. The distant look in his eyes told her that he was much further than she initially thought. "There was a time when you didn't used to be this way. Not caring about anything...or anyone."

Michael stared out at nothing.

"Do you really not care what happens to Terry?"

"I never said that I didn't care. I said there was nothing that could be done. The decision has already been made."

"She'll die after she gives birth?"

"Yes."

"And what about her baby?"

Michael did not answer immediately. She could see tension in his jaw. He continued to wring his hands. After a moment, he stood. It was then that Nikita noticed he was still wearing his brace which had been hidden by the long length of his coat. It reminded her of his small sacrifice given to save both her life and Terry's. He did not have to go to the lengths that he did to help. He could have avoided everything had he simply reported Terry the moment he suspected something with her. Instead, he had come to her to ask her directly what was going on so that he could figure out a way to contain the problem before it got out of control. For his efforts, he ended up with a bullet in his leg and a few months enclosed inside of Section instead of being out in the field where he could truly shine.

"Section will deal with the baby in the best most efficient manner possible. They won't kill it. Since infants don't have memories that can be recalled easily, they won't have a need to sterilize the situation. They will monitor it, keep a close eye, but won't do anything more."

"And if the child starts poking around when it gets older and wants to find the birth mother or father?"

"Section would have put an explanation in place for that. They would have organized a healthy home for the child to grow up in. Manipulate everything so that no matter how far someone digs, they won't come up with anything that will point to Section."

Nikita nodded, not really satisfied with this explanation, but it did seem the most plausible. She could not accept the killing babies even if she did consider Section beyond evil. She felt bad that Terry would die no matter what she did, but at least she could settle to know that her baby would have an opportunity to grow up. That was all that Terry truly wanted ultimately. She wished that she could somehow let Terry know and possibly give her a measure of hope. Michael began towards the door. Nikita stood and quickly caught up to him before he reached it. She reached for his arm once more and stopped him.

"I gotta know one last thing," Nikita began, swallowing hard to gather courage. "If your child had not died, would you have tried to find it?"

Michael looked as though he was thinking heavily on the question. He expelled a light and breathy sigh before turning to look into Nikita's eyes.

"If he had lived…"

An expression of tormenting pain crossed over his face. Michael furrowed his brow and turned back to the door. Nikita started to reach for him once more, but decided to let him go. Within a few steps he was gone down the hall and disappeared into the night.

CHAPTER NINE

Spring always felt fresh and renewed with life. Nikita loved Spring. It seemed the city came alive with color and a vibrancy that could only be captured in Renoir paintings. It was a welcome respite from the harsh winter that had seen Section running several missions simultaneously in nearly every corner of the eastern hemisphere. Michael's leg healed, placing him back out in the field, but this time without Nikita after she caught a slug in her right thigh during a particularly hairy arms deal gone bad. Several operatives were killed during the fray. Nikita barely made it out herself. While in recovery, Walter and Birkoff visited, both with wide smiles and hopeful well wishes. Michael came by only once to check on her status and to tell her the decision to take her off active duty until she was fully healed. After another day in recovery, she would be sent home.  
"Michael," Nikita called, her voice sounding quiet and small in the sanitation white medical room.

Michael paused just before leaving the room.

"Yes?"

"Terry. Have you heard anything about her?" Nikita knew she was stretching to ask, but lately, the veteran operative had been on her mind. She was certain that she was either nearing the end of her pregnancy, or had already had the baby.

Michael stood in the doorway silent, not really moving. His eyes moved away from Nikita. She drew in a steadying breath, knowing without any words needing to be said that the news was grim.

"She's been cancelled, hasn't she." Nikita answered.

Michael's gaze drifted slowly towards the floor. Nikita nodded her head and folded her arms somewhat holding herself. Even though the room was slightly warm and she had asked to be put in a tank top instead of the usual white shirt Section gave all its treated injured, she felt cold. Michael continued to stand in the door, a black spot against the austere white of the room.

"What about the baby?" Nikita dared to ask.

"Gone."

"Where?"

Michael was silent once more, looking at Nikita with eyes that could never tell her what she wanted to know. Instead, he turned to leave the room.

"Get some rest."

CHAPTER TEN

Several weeks passed before Nikita could put any kind of real weight on her leg. She was given a brace to wear to help her move about without the need for a crutch. She knew she would still need to go through reconditioning to get back up to Section standards, but she was confident she would not be as closely watched as she had been the last time she had to undergo reconditioning. During the first week of exercise, she struggled, but managed to still perform to at least sixty percent of her normal scores. After the third week, her numbers climbed, but not without considerable pain and mental exertion. She had hoped that she might gain some kind of encouragement from Michael, but he seemed too occupied to bother with even a thumbs up. His eyes passed over her impassively as he stood with Operations speaking with him at The Perch.

Nikita walked from the training room towards the lounge, eager to grab a quick energy drink and a snack before returning for her next session. Once more, Section was at a standstill, only sending out small teams for short intel missions periodically throughout the week. The world had taken a break from destroying itself for the time being leaving many operatives at home waiting for a phone call to activate them again. The lounge was near empty when she entered. From what she could see, there were only a few personnel from Systems lingering about speaking in hushed voices. Nikita went to a vending fridge and selected an energy drink. She opened the tab and took a long swig, enjoying the cold refreshing feeling of the carbonated drink washing the back of her throat. She wiped the back of her mouth and saw a familiar face stand next to her and reach for bottled water from the fridge.

"David!" Nikita could barely contain her excitement at seeing him. "My God! Where have you been?"

David looked at Nikita with obvious question in his powder blue eyes. He took a step back from Nikita.

"Excuse me?"

"David! It's me! Nikita! Remember we met a few months ago? I came to talk to you about Terry?"

David continued to look baffled. He took another step backward, twisting the top off of his bottle and taking a cautious drink. He shook his head slowly.  
"I think you might have mistaken me for someone else."

"No I'm not," said Nikita, slightly offended that David would be acting this way towards her suddenly. "You're David."

"Yes."

"We've met before. Don't you remember?"

David cocked a sly grin as he looked Nikita up and down. He took another drink from his water bottle.

"No, I don't think we've met. I'd remember meeting someone like you. What'd you say your name was again?"

"It's Nikita," she said stiffly. "What do you mean you don't think we've met? I came to your house. We talked about Terry?"

"Who is Terry?"

Nikita rested back on her heels, realizing a horrible truth.

"You don't remember any of it, do you?"

David continued to look puzzled as he drank his water. Nikita backed away and started out of the lounge.

"You said your name is Nikita?" David said, calling her attention back to him.

"Yes." Nikita turned towards David.

The confused look was replaced by a frown that deepened with thought. He approached Nikita looking quite serious and very much determined. His jaw tensed.  
"I think I do know you," he said, allowing the words to come slowly. "We did meet."

Nikita softened her stance and regarded David with patience. David furrowed his brow, thinking hard. The act seemed to cause him some pain which manifested itself across his face pressing his lips down into a narrow line. It was the same look Michael had given her when she asked him about his memory of Simone.

"There is a part of me that wants to try and remember you," David said. He lifted his eyes to Nikita, holding her there. "But it hurts to do it. I get headaches."

Nikita reached to touch David's face gently with the back of her hand. He looked all the more troubled.

"It's okay. You don't have to remember. It's probably best you don't."

David still looked as though he did not understand, but nodded anyway in acceptance. He cast one last look at Nikita before beginning to walk away. He stopped short, just before leaving the lounge and turned.

"This Terry. Did I know her, too?"

"Yes."

"Is she here?"

Nikita shook her head. She could not hide the sorrow in her voice or her expression.

"No."

David looked down a moment. "I would probably miss her if I remembered her, wouldn't I?"

"I think so," Nikita nodded.

David nodded.

"David, what did they do to you? Do you remember?" Nikita asked. 

David looked puzzled at first, then shook his head. 

"I don't know exactly. I just know that they made me...better." He focused his gaze back on Nikita and smiled warmly. "It's good to meet you again, Nikita."

"Same to you."

CHAPTER ELEVEN

"Dinner was wonderful."

Michael stood and began clearing the plates away from the table. Nikita stretched and watched as Michael took the plates to the sink and began rinsing them. Beside him, a vase of flowers stood softly adding even more color to the already eclectic and chaotic design of Nikita's apartment. Michael considered the flowers, staring at them as he dried his hands. He touched one of the flowers, caressing the blue petals with graceful fingers.

"These are new. When did you get them?"

"This morning," said Nikita, leaning back in her dining chair. "Passed by a flower vendor. Decided to stop and buy something from him."

"They are very beautiful."

Michael pulled down two wine glasses and popped the cork on a bottle of vintage Sauvignon Blanc. He poured two glasses and brought them to the table. Nikita took her glass and thanked him within a near whisper. His eyes remained steady with her as he took his first sip.

"What are they?" he asked.

"Forget-me-nots."

Michael considered her answer, taking another sip.

"Why those?"

Nikita shrugged. She set her wine glass down on the table and toyed with the stem with her index finger.

"Don't know. Just felt right to have them, I guess. Considering…"

"We can choose what we want to hang onto," Michael began, looking very far away. "We can also choose what to let go of."

Nikita let out a heavy sigh. "But what if there are things that we choose to forget, but need to remember?"

"If we needed to remember them, we would." Michael leveled his gaze with Nikita, giving his words deeper meaning.

"I don't know, Michael. Seems to me we do a lot of forgetting things, things that we should probably remember so that we don't make the same mistakes again. Or maybe make different decisions. We can't always pretend that certain things never happened."

"We can't let those memories affect how we move through life. Some memories, certain ones at least, can stop you from becoming what you truly want to be...Or who you want to be with."

Nikita looked at Michael, studying him. He was being as honest as he could be with her without being blatant. She took up her glass and held it up in position for a toast.  
"Well then, let's promise to never allow ourselves to let the past dictate our future. Whatever memories we build now will be like a beautiful field of blue."

A slight grin lifted the corners of Michael's lips as he raised his glass to hers. Nikita took a sip of the wine watching Michael as he only lowered his glass back down to the table.


End file.
